ChatGPT Prompts for Writing Work Emails (12 You Can Copy, UK)

Short answer: the best ChatGPT email prompts say who you are, who you're writing to, what you want to happen and the tone, in one go. Copy the prompts below, fill in the [brackets], and save your details once so you never have to type them again.

Why do email prompts need so much detail?

Because ChatGPT can't see your inbox, your client or your mood. OpenAI's advice is to be "clear, specific" and give "enough context" (OpenAI). Google's prompting guide breaks it into four parts: persona, task, context, format (Google). For an email, that means:

Are people really using ChatGPT for this?

Yes. In OpenAI's study of how people use ChatGPT, writing was the most common work task, at about 40% of work-related messages. Roughly two-thirds of writing requests were about improving text the person already had, rather than starting from scratch (NBER working paper).

What are the 12 prompts?

Chasing and following up

1. Chase a late payment: "Write a polite but firm email to [client] about invoice [number] for [£amount], now [X] days overdue. This is my [first/second] reminder. Keep the relationship friendly. Under 100 words. UK spelling."
2. Follow up after no reply: "I emailed [person] on [date] about [topic] and haven't heard back. Write a short, friendly nudge that's easy to reply to in one line."
3. Follow up after a meeting: "Turn these notes into a follow-up email with decisions, actions and owners, plus deadlines: [paste notes]."

Saying no and pushing back

1. Decline a request: "Help me say no to [request] from [colleague/manager]. Give the reason [reason] and offer [alternative]. Warm, not apologetic."
2. Push back on a deadline: "Write an email asking to move [deadline] from [date] to [date]. Explain [reason] and show what I can deliver by the original date."
3. Handle a complaint: "A customer wrote this: [paste]. Draft a reply that acknowledges the problem, says what we'll do, and doesn't admit legal fault. Calm and human."

Asking and introducing

1. Ask for something: "Write an email asking [person] for [thing] by [date]. Make the ask clear in the first line."
2. Introduce two people: "Write a short double-opt-in intro between [A, role] and [B, role], explaining why they should talk."
3. Cold outreach: "Write a 90-word first email to [type of business] offering [service]. No hype, one clear question at the end."

Tidying up what you've written

1. Make it shorter: "Cut this email by half without losing anything important: [paste]."
2. Make it kinder (or firmer): "Rewrite this so it sounds [warmer/firmer/more confident], keeping my meaning: [paste]."
3. Check before sending: "Check this email for tone, clarity and anything that could be misread. List changes, then give a clean version: [paste]."

How do I stop retyping my details every time?

Put the parts that never change, like who you are, your tone and your sign-off, into custom instructions (Settings > Personalization). You get up to 1,500 characters on Free and Go plans and 5,000 on paid plans (OpenAI). Then each prompt only needs the facts of the email in front of you.

Or go one step further and make an email skill: a short set of instructions that captures how you write, your usual people and your rules ("never say 'per my last email'"). It works the same in ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude or Copilot.

Can it actually sound like me?

It can get close, if you show it. Paste two or three emails you've sent that you were happy with and ask it to describe your style, then save that description. We cover this step by step in how to make ChatGPT write like you.

What's the quickest way to set this up?

MakeASkill asks you a few questions about how you write emails and who to, then builds your personal email skill, free. Make my email skill